PARIS SHOW REPORT
MDC steps into 100-
seat arena with MD-95
Another entrant in the 100-seat jet commuter market
has declared itself at Paris —
McDonnell Douglas (MDC),
with a shortened version of the
MD-87, called the MD-95.
The company expects to
launch the aircraft formally at
the end of this year. It will be
built in China, and Northwest
Airlines is likely to be the first
major customer.
MDC hopes to link the pro
gramme with the Trunkliner
project, which is for the MD-90,
150-seat aircraft that will be
assembled by the China National
Aero/Technology Import/Export
Corporation. MDC says it is
"very optimistic" of winning the
Trunkliner competition against
the Boeing 737-300. The com
pany is in final negotiation for
the deal.
Northwest Airlines needs to
replace its ageing DC-9s (it flies
the world's largest fleet of the
type), and says it is looking at a
"number of options", including
re-engining its existing aircraft.
The carrier has signed a mem
orandum of understanding with
MDC on the MD-95, and has,
says MDC's commercial aircraft
executive vice-president John
Wolf, helped considerably in its
definition.
Pratt & Whitney (the original
MD-80 engine supplier) and
Rolls-Royce are offering engines
for the MD-95. MDC has signed
a memorandum of understand
ing with Pratt & Whitney for
the 73.4kN (16,5001b thrust)
JT8D-218, and says it is "in
negotiation" with Rolls-Royce
on the Tay 670, of the same
thrust. MDC figures give the
MD-95 a range of 3,423km
(l,850nm) with Tay power —
185km more than with JT8D.
MD-95: Northwest Airlines could be the first customer
The MD-95 will be the small
est of the MD-80 and MD-90
twins, measuring 37.3m in
length — about a metre longer
than the DC-9.
The company has delivered
more than 875 MD-80s, and is
due to deliver a record 140
aircraft this year.
MDC pitches the MD-95
against the Fokker 100 and Boe
ing 737-300, and says the air
craft will be quieter and more
reliable and have lower direct
operating costs — claims that
are hotly disputed by the
opposition.
Assuming the negotiations
bear fruit, assembly of the first
MD-95 is planned for mid-1993,
with first flight a year later and
initial deliveries in late 1995. •
MDC 'desperate' for Saudi F-15 go-ahead
McDonnell Douglas (MDC) says it is "desperate" for
the Bush administration to ap
prove the sale of 24 F-15Fs to
Saudi Arabia, and is asking the
US Air Force (USAF) to agree to
a reduced F-15E build-rate to
prolong production.
The company says that with
out the Saudi sale, now being
INCREASED PERFORMANCE BY NEW TB 200 XL
Aerospatiale general-aviation subsidiary Socata has introduced the TB
200 Tobago XL, a more powerful version of its established TB 10. The
new model has been developed for pilots seeking greater performance,
but wishing to retain fixed landing gear. Introduction of a 149hW
Lycoming IO-360-A1-B6 engine is said to provide a IflOOft/min (5m/s)
climb rate with maximum load and maximum speed of 140ht
(259hm/h). More than 1,300 TB-series aircraft have been sold since
introduction in 1979.
considered by the White House,
its St Louis manufacturing line
will go cold by mid-1993, with
the premature loss of 7,000 jobs.
MDC vice-president business
development Bob Trice says:
"The fact is that there is strong
interest in this aircraft [strike
F-15F] internationally, and the
one thing that prevents it being
sold around the world is domes
tic politics in the USA. What we
are experiencing is a lack of
political will to move this [Saudi
request] forward to Congress."
Trice claims that collapse of
the Saudi deal will imperil other
possible sales — notably to Is
rael and the United Arab Emir
ates — because of a production
gap at the end of 1993.
He says that $628 million paid
by the Saudis to the USA for 24
ex-USAF air-superiority F-15Cs
following Desert Storm, was ear
marked for replacement aircraft
for the USAF, but it is now
being spent instead on "support
equipment" for the existing
fleet.
MDC is asking the US Gov
ernment to purchase a further
12 F-15Es with up to $480
million of that cash, which
would stretch F-15 production
into early 1994, and help ease
the perceived crisis.
Additionally, it is discussing
with the USAF the possibility of
reducing F-15 production from
three aircraft a month to two.
He says: "The death of the [US
Navy] Advanced Tactical Air
craft leaves the air force with no
future long-range interdiction
capability on the books. The
F-lll will be in that role until
2015, so some additional F-15Es
for that might make some
sense." Trice says it was the
USA's decision, not to provide
requested F-15s to Saudi Arabia
in 1987, that led to the vast Al
Yamamah contract with Britain.
He says: "Here is a real-life
example of what happens when
political decisions are made
without the understanding of
their economic consequences".
"One ironic result of Desert
Storm is a strong move in Con
gress to unilaterally restrain the
export of US defence products.
Unilateral restraints on the part
of the USA does nothing more
than give away jobs, income and
political influence to competing
nations," he added.
"We should participate in the
existing marketplace until we
have an agreement [with other
nations] as to what multi
lateral constraints there are
going to be." D
FLIGHT INTERNATIONAL 26 June - 2 July. 1991